


Hang In There, Baby

by elated_witch



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Babies, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, dads, i love them, parent!phan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:42:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25029457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elated_witch/pseuds/elated_witch
Summary: Dan and Phil document their journey to parenthood through videos
Relationships: Dan Howell & Phil Lester, Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19
Collections: Phandom Reverse Bang 2020





	Hang In There, Baby

**Author's Note:**

  * For [botanicalskeleton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/botanicalskeleton/gifts).



> itty bitty tiny implication/mention of sex in Dan's birthday (are we surprised) but otherwise she rated E for everyone

April 24

Phil was in the process of setting up the camera. Dan was fidgeting in his spot on the couch, fixated on the floor.

“Dan?” Phil glanced over at his nervous husband. Dan looked up to meet Phil’s eyes. “Hi.” He gave him a small smile.

“Are you okay?” Phil sat down and took Dan’s hand in his. He nodded slowly. “Just a little nervous. This is all so… real now.” Phil squeezed his hand in comfort and gave Dan a soft smile.

Their fluffy corgi, Bear, came over and brushed up against Dan’s leg, sitting down and looking up at one of his dog dads. Dan reached down and pet him. Phil smiled at them knowing that Bear was always great support when Dan was feeling low.

“Hey, I know it’s a little scary, but we have each other. We are a team, Dan. I’ve got you and you’ve got me, right?” Dan smiled and Phil placed a light kiss on his cheek. “Let’s do this.”

The camera started recording and the couple greeted their imaginary audience.

“Hello, baby! It’s your dads, Dan and Phil!” Dan giggled at the introduction, feeling like he was filming a video for one of their YouTube channels. But this was far more special.

Dan and Phil had started their journey into fatherhood the previous year, extensively researching the process of getting a surrogate and all the complexities that may come with it. They’d been approved in February and now their surrogate was pregnant. She was at least 6 weeks along at this point.

Early on in their adventure, the pair decided they wanted to film videos for their future child to share in the future. They wanted to share the doctor's visits, decorating the nursery, and picking baby names. Once the baby was born they wanted to make home videos of their first sleepless nights, the baby’s first steps, and more special occasions that would come with their new child.

The men had considered posting family content to their channels as well but decided that they didn’t want to exploit their child for views or become a family channel. There was no doubt they’d make dad content but their channels wouldn’t become filled with _just_ dad content.

Once their surrogate was far along enough and they could confirm that the baby was healthy, they would film a video announcing the pregnancy to their audience.

They’d only told their immediate families so far and even then they’d only mentioned that they were looking into surrogates - not that they found one and she was pregnant now.

Soon they’d work on the baby’s room, attend doctor’s visits, buy furniture and clothing. Soon, they’d be dads.

May 1

Phil turned on the camera and turned it to face him as he walked into the would-be nursery.

“Hello, baby! Your dad and I are currently painting your room. Dan, have any words?” He turned the camera to Dan who was in his infamous astronaut cats t-shirt and in some athletic shorts, painting one of the walls.

“Your father has been absolutely useless. Do you see me painting all by myself?”

“Hey! Don’t bad mouth me, I help plenty.”

Dan giggled and walked over to Phil and gave him a quick peck. “You’re doing wonderfully.” He returned to the paint and rolled more over the wall he was working on.

Phil panned the camera across the room. “We don’t know your sex yet but regardless we wanted your room yellow! We figured it was a pretty neutral color, not that color has a gender, but it’s also very bright and happy. And we want our baby to be bright and happy! We’ll update you once we finish painting and start moving furniture in. I hope you love it!”

“Your daddies love you!” Dan chimed in and Phil turned the camera off. “Okay, back to work.”

The pair goofed around and continued their painting, playfully pushing each other around and painting in each other’s zones.

Soon, Dan was rolling over the final section of the white wall and the room was complete. The husbands sat on the floor and sighed. “We did it.”

Phil leaned on Dan’s shoulder and Dan kissed his head. They were one step closer to finishing this room and bringing their baby home.

May 13

Phil was up bright and early although the doctor’s visit wasn’t until later in the afternoon. He was jittery with excitement. They’d be listening to the baby’s heartbeat and confirm the number of fetuses.

“Good morning, baby! Today is our first doctor’s visit and we get to see you for the first time! We’ve got… 4 hours until we have to be there but I’ve been awake and energized. I’m just so excited! Your dad is not amused.” Phil laughed as he got his future child updated on their journey.

Phil busied himself all day, finding random chores to do as he waited for the hour they would leave. Dan found it endearing and giggled at his flustered husband who was wiping the dining room table for the third time in a row.

“Phil?” Phil looked up at his husband curiously. “Yes, Dan?” Dan closed his laptop and set it aside, making grabby hands at Phil. “Come cuddle with me.”

Phil smiled and dropped his cleaning supplies to walk over to Dan’s position on the couch. Phil curled into his arms and took a deep breath. “I know you’re excited but you need to have a rest. You’re gonna burn out your energy.”

“I know, I know. I just can’t help it!” He nuzzled into Dan’s neck and smiled. Dan was completely enamored by his husband. “Let’s just rest for a while. We’ll have plenty of excitement at the doctor’s office.”

They laid together watching anime until it was time for them to take the tube to the doctor’s office and see their baby for the first time.

The couple walked into the room and greeted their surrogate, Emily. Today was the day they would listen to the baby’s heartbeat. Phil was trembling with excitement. Dan was nauseous from anxiety. He had hoped for the best but part of him worried that there would be something wrong with the baby.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen!” The perky doctor came in and shook their hands. “How are we feeling today?”

The question hung in the air before Emily chimed in. “I think we’re all pretty excited to see how the baby is doing.” The doctor smiled kindly at the three of them and began prepping. “Well let’s get this going, shall we?”

They’d gotten permission from the doctor to film the visits and Phil got the camera rolling. Dan shuffled from one foot to the other, anxious to see the baby.

She poured the clear gel onto Emily’s stomach and set the transducer against it, moving it around in search of the baby. Soon, a small heartbeat was heard around the room. Dan and Phil squeezed each other’s hands, staring at the blob on the screen. The heartbeat sounded a bit abnormal.

“Um, doctor? Why does the heartbeat sound like that?” Dan timidly asked. His heart raced at the possibility that his worst fears were coming true.

“ _Heartbeats.”_ The doctor corrected. “It appears we have a pair of twins here. Congratulations!” Emily smiled widely at the two men, Phil reciprocating while Dan’s jaw was sitting on the floor. As the doctor moved the transducer around, the image of the two babies became clear.

The visit came to an end and Dan’s expression of shock never changed. He and Phil walked down the street, hand in hand and Phil chatted excitedly about the news they just received. Dan remained silent, occasionally humming in affirmation at Phil’s words.

Once they reached their home, Phil set to making dinner for them and Dan wandered off into their lounge. He began pacing nervously, suddenly very unsure of their situation.

Phil walked in to find Dan in his anxious state. “Dan, are you okay?”

“Twins, Phil. We’re having twins.” Neither of them had expected it, not that anyone can anticipate twins, but Dan was seemingly distressed while Phil was overjoyed.

“Yes, twins. Aren’t you excited? We’re getting an extra baby!” Dan shot up and looked at Phil with his mouth agape.

“Excited? Phil, this isn’t like winning an extra prize from a claw machine. This is another human being we have to take care of! How can you be so calm?” Phil didn’t know what reaction he expected from Dan, but it certainly wasn’t this. “Can we even afford another baby?”

Phil reached out to comfort his partner. “Dan, can you please-” Dan pushed his hand away. “No, Phil, I can’t!” Phil narrowed his eyes and stared at Dan. His chipper demeanor was now fading away.

“Daniel, we have been planning and saving up for a baby forever. Now we are having two. You know very well that we can afford to have another child.” Phil squeezed his thigh in an attempt to calm himself. He hated fighting with Dan but he was so persistent.

Phil stood up deciding he needed to be alone, but not without a few parting words. “Don’t you realize how fortunate we are? There are so many couples that would do anything to be in our position.” He walked off to their bedroom without another word.

Dan sat alone in the lounge for a while, taking in Phil’s words. Guilt flooded his system. He and Phil had been waiting for this moment for years now. Dan felt bad for stepping on his happiness.

After some time to digest their conversation, Dan tiptoed over to their bedroom but stopped when he found Phil sitting in the would-be nursery.

The pair had started moving furniture in and assembled a simple white crib. Without any clothes or toys yet, the room was still quite empty. Phil was sitting in the plush white rocking chair, with Bear curled up at his feet. Dan saw he had something in his hands - his old stuffed bear.

When his parents found out he and Dan were planning to have a baby, Phil’s mother insisted they take his favorite toy from childhood. She’d be saving for this day. They’d all been waiting for this day.

“You know, they’re gonna fight over that bear,” Dan spoke up and Phil glanced over at him before quickly looking away. It was clear that he had been crying. His eyes had residual puffiness and redness. Dan’s heart wrenched at the sight. He knew Phil was excited to start a family and Dan was crushing his dreams.

Dan walked over and sat on the floor next to Bear, resting his head against Phil’s thigh. Phil hesitantly placed his fingers into Dan’s hair and began rubbing his scalp.

“Phil,” Dan spoke quietly. “Hmm?” Phil responded, avoiding Dan’s stare. He never liked to let Dan see him get upset.

Dan tugged at Phil’s pants to get his attention. Phil reluctantly gave in and looked at Dan, rubbing leftover tears from his eyes.

“Hey, we’re gonna do this. I overreacted earlier and I’m so sorry. I was just… scared.” A few more tears slipped from Phil’s eyes. He grabbed Dan’s hand and squeezed.

“What if… what if they’re fucked up like me? We used my sperm. And depression can be genetic and-“ It was Dan’s turn to shed tears.

“Dan,” Phil kissed his husband’s forehead. “We will figure that out when we get there. Let’s focus on bringing these babies home, okay?”

Dan sniffled a bit before responding with a small “Okay.”

Phil stood from the rocking chair and pulled Dan up with him. “Come on. Let’s just order pizza and cuddle.” Dan pulled him into a tight hug and Phil nuzzled into his neck.

“I love you so much, Phil. And I can’t wait to be a dad with you.”

“I love you, too. We’re gonna be great dads.”

They gave each other a quick peck and walked back to the lounge to place their pizza order.

\---

June 11

Dan was cuddled up to Phil as the morning sun shone into their bedroom. Phil placed a soft kiss on his head.

“Good morning, birthday boy,” he said in a sing-song voice. Dan responded with a groan and hid his face further in Phil’s neck.

“Birthday _boy_? I’m 31, today.” Phil rolled his eyes. “Okay, birthday _man._ Come on we have to meet your family for breakfast.”

Dan left gentle kisses across Phil’s neck. “No, no, no. Dan, you are not starting with this.” Dan sat up and blinked his eyelashes at Phil. “ _Please,_ Phil. It’s my birthday!”

“We are going to be late!” Dan grabbed his phone from the side table and looked at the time. “5 minutes?” Phil’s eyes widened. “You think you can finish in 5 minutes?” Dan pulled him in for a kiss. “No, the question is can you finish me off in 5 minutes?”

Phil laughed and pulled Dan on top of him. “You drive me crazy, Dan Howell.”

By the time Dan and Phil’s private birthday celebration was over, the men had no choice but to call an Uber in order to not be late for breakfast. As they clambered into the car, Phil whined, “I told you we’d be late!”

Dan sat in the car beaming. “Okay, but it was worth it.” Phil laughed at his husband’s goofy face. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Breakfast went by in a breeze and the pair were back home in no time. They sat on the couch resting for a while. They’d be hosting friends that night for Dan’s birthday dinner. This was also the night their close friends that they were expecting.

“How do you think they’ll react?” Dan pondered. “They’ll be happy for us! Louise will probably cry.” Phil chuckled. As a mother herself, she absolutely cherished children.

“But, what if they aren’t happy for us? What if they think we aren’t ready?” Phil tightened his arms around Dan. “Dan, what they think doesn’t matter. We’ve discussed this for a while now. We feel ready, so we are ready.”

Dan snuggled closer to Phil. “Okay, you’re probably right.” Phil nodded and nuzzled into Dan’s neck. “Besides, they’re already growing in Emily. They’re not just gonna stop even if people think we aren’t ready.”

Dan gently pressed his lips to Phil’s. “How do you always know what to say?”

That evening, music flowed through their house as guests came over. They chatted away with everyone, catching up with friends they hadn’t seen in a while. It took so much strength to not blurt out their big announcement. But they waited.

After Dan blew out the candles of his cake and everyone had settled down with a piece of their own, Dan and Phil stood together before all of their guests.

“Hi, everyone! We just wanted to thank you guys for coming out to celebrate my birthday. It’s truly been very special. Before the night is over and everyone starts to leave, we have a very special announcement.” The couple looked at each other and nodded before shouting, “We’re finally having kids!”

The room erupted into cheers as their friends congratulated them. Louise cried, just as Phil had predicted. Questions followed soon after.

“Are you adopting or using a surrogate?” “When is the baby due?” “Are you guys excited?”

Dan and Phil laughed at their friends’ excitement. Dan’s heart swelled. It was a greater response than he ever anticipated.

“So, we’re using a surrogate,” Phil explained. “She’ll be going into her second trimester very soon. We don’t know the baby’s sex yet. Oh, and we’re having twins!”

This led to a new slew of cheers and questions. It was a bit overwhelming, but they couldn’t be more thankful for their friends’ support.

July 25

Dan and Phil sat in the examination room with Emily, chatting away excitedly.

“What do you think we’ll have? Boys? Girls?” Phil asked excitedly. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up with one of each!” Emily replied with a wide grin.

Emily had been an amazing friend and support to Dan and Phil. She didn’t have any children nor did she want any. She simply wanted to be able to carry children for parents that could not conceive on their own. The Howell-Lesters were the third couple she was assisting and the first-ever set of twins she’d be having.

“Do you plan to carry again after us, Emily?” She thought for a moment. “Um, probably not. Given that everything goes well and I have these babies naturally, I think I’ll end it here.” She giggled. “Besides, I’m in my thirties and if I push it, the pregnancies become risky. I’ve had a good run and I’ll be glad if you’re the last family I help.”

The men pulled her in for a group hug as the doctor walked in.

“Oh! Am I disturbing a moment?” The group laughed. “No, it’s alright. We’re ready to go!”

“Well, let’s not keep you all waiting any longer!”

Emily laid back against the bed and the doctor began business as usual with the ultrasound gel and the transducer. Dan pulled out their camera to capture the moment.

“Okay, let’s find these babies. Ah! Here we are. Looking beautiful as ever.” Dan and Phil smiled at each other and at Emily who was beaming right back.

“Looks like all limbs are present - for both babies. They’re developing very well. Now for the big question - would you like to know the sex?”

The men looked at each other, silently communicating before turning back to the doctor and nodding. She smiled widely and went back to moving the transmitter across Emily’s abdomen.

“So we have one boy, as you might be able to see here.” She pointed to the screen. “There is a penis developing and baby number 2 appears to be a girl.”

Dan and Phil gaped at the screen and Emily laughed. “I totally called it!”

“Now, this can change. I’ve had babies that were boys during the ultrasound and ended up being girls at the time of delivery and vice versa. But at this moment, it seems like you’ve got yourselves a boy and a girl. Congratulations!”

“Thank you, doctor.” Phil’s eyes welled with tears. They were getting a boy _and_ a girl. Dan turned off the camera and pulled him close.

“We get the best of both worlds, now.”

August 14

It was an extremely warm day in London but Dan and Phil were venturing out to have lunch with Emily.

They hadn’t spent much time with her outside of doctor’s visits and it didn’t feel right. They wanted to have more of a relationship with her outside of the surrogacy.

The cafe was small and quaint in a part of the city they’d never ventured to before. Even in their many years living in London, they hadn’t explored all of the city. Emily was sitting on a bench in front of the cafe.

“Hi guys!” she smiled and pulled them each in for a hug. “Ready to eat?”

They were seated at a table for three, sipping on coffee and tea over the light conversation.

“Oh!” Emily exclaimed, rubbing her belly. The men shot up in a panic.

“Is everything alright? The babies aren’t coming, are they?” Phil asked frantically. Emily laughed and gestured for the men to sit. “No, no. I just felt a little kick. Do you want to feel?”

They settled back into their seats and looked at her curiously. “O-okay…” Phil hesitated. Emily grabbed his hand and guided it to her belly. They sat for a moment and waited before feeling a small kick.

Phil recoiled at the moment before quickly returning his hand. “Oh my gosh! That was a kick!” Dan chuckled at his husband’s amazement. “Can I get a turn or do you plan on hogging up Emily’s stomach?”

Dan reached over and placed his hand on Emily’s abdomen, waiting for a kick. There was slight movement under her skin and he felt the movements deep within. “Whoa! They move around a lot!”

Emily laughed at their reactions. “They sure do! Sometimes it looks like a demon’s trying to claw out of me.” She pulls up a video on her phone and shows them. “Take a look at this.” You can see lumps moving around under her skin, pushing to get out

“Whoa!” the men exclaimed. “That looks so intense!” Phil’s jaw dropped at the sight. Dan stared at the video in a trance, fascinated by the squirming under Emily’s skin.

The rest of their lunch was tame. They continued to converse about their lives and careers over their meals.

“It has been lovely to see you boys!” Emily embraced the men once more. “I hope to see you both very soon!” She waved as she walked off to her car.

Dan and Phil strolled hand in hand to the nearest train stop. “We really need to hang out with her more,” Phil commented. “I feel terrible that we don’t spend enough time with her outside of the ‘business’ side of the pregnancy.”

Dan nodded in agreement and his face lit up. “I have an idea!”

\---

September 2

The bell rang and Phil ran to answer the door, Bear chasing after him.

“Hi Emily!” He greeted her cheerfully and pulled her in for a hug, closing the door in the process. Bear hopped around their feet, eager to meet this new person. “Bear! Calm down!” Phil laughed and picked up his dog.

Emily gushed over Bear and patted his head. “He is so precious! I didn’t know you guys had a dog! I would’ve brought mine over! She’s a little spaniel, very friendly.”

They walked into the lounge where Dan was setting up their lunch. Phil put Bear down and they sat down for their meal.

Since their last meeting at the cafe, Dan and Phil made it a point to spend more time with Emily and support her during the rest of her pregnancy. They had a very special plan for today’s visit.

After lunch, Emily sat on their sofa with Bear in her lap as the men scrambled to get their film equipment set up. She stroked his fur as they both followed Dan and Phil’s movements around the lounge.

Finally, they were ready to start filming. Bear went to lay on his bed and Phil started with a greeting.

“Hi, babies! It’s your dads here with a very special guest - your mum!” Emily waved cheerfully to the camera and smiled.

Dan chimed in, “We figured you’d learn that you were born via surrogate eventually, so we wanted to introduce you to her and have her talk about what it’s been like to carry her first and only set of twins!”

The pair continued discussing with Emily and asking her questions about her pregnancy so far. They had previously debated whether or not to make this a YouTube video since they’d be doing the same thing if it were but decided against it for Emily’s privacy.

Afternoon rolled into evening and Emily was on her way. “I’ll send you the video sometime this week! Thank you for having me!”

They laid in bed with phones in hand, Dan’s head resting on Phil’s chest and Bear laying on their legs. Phil took in the scene and smiled. Less than 4 months and his little family would be complete. He squeezed Dan a little tighter and sighed happily.

Soon.

September 4 \- Emily’s message for the babies

_Hello little ones! You may or may not know me by now but I’m Emily, your mum. I was the surrogate for your fathers! So here’s a little about me: I don’t have any kids of my own and I don’t really want any. I have a dog named Luna and a corn snake called Wormy! I’m very happy with just them and my lovely husband, Jacob. I’m also a primary school teacher about to go on maternity leave! I am about 5 and a half months along now. You both will be arriving around New Years which is very exciting! It has been a joy to carry you two for the past few months. You are the last babies I’m going to have and I’m so happy I got to carry twins! Your dads are so excited for your arrival and I am too. There are no two people I’ve seen more excited to become parents than yours. You’re in good hands, babies. I can’t wait to meet you!_

September 18

“What about Jacob?”

“Hmm… it can be a contender but I’m not a _huge_ fan.”

Dan and Phil were laying on the plush rug in the middle of the nursery with Bear napping in between them. They realized they hadn’t considered baby names yet and the due date was steadily approaching.

“Do we wanna be those parents that make their twins’ names rhyme or match or whatever?”

“I don’t know… maybe?”

They had baby books and lists in hand, flipping through and making note of ones that they liked. This was different and more serious than naming a character in a game. _They were naming their children._ It was tough coming up with serious names after having hits like Dil, Dab, and Dalien.

Phil grabbed his phone and began recording, getting Bear and Dan in the shot. “Hello babies, we are currently trying to figure your names but we are having an _extremely_ difficult time. Daddy and I are not very good at this.” Dan laughed and looked at the camera. “Please don’t judge us too harshly if you don’t like your names. You can always change them when you get older.”

Phil stopped recording and Dan covered his face with the baby book he had and groaned loudly, jolting Bear awake. Phil snickered and smoothed Bear’s fur to calm him back to sleep. “Dan, we’ve still got some time to figure it out. We definitely shouldn’t be in the delivery room without names but we’ve got time.”

He reached across Bear and took Dan’s hand in his, squeezing lightly. Dan moved the book from his face and smiled at Phil. “You’re right.” They sat up hand in hand, rustling Bear a bit. “Should we have some lunch then get back to it?”

Bear perked up when he heard “lunch” and the men laughed before getting up and walking off to the kitchen, Bear bouncing around their feet.

October 31

An endless stream of children had been arriving at their home in the evening, surprising for a Monday night.

The husbands had originally planned to stay in and watch scary movies, getting up only to give treats to the kids that came by. There ended up being such a surge of trick or treaters that the men just sat on their front steps to hand out candy.

They hadn’t imagined this many kids would be coming by so they had to dip into Phil’s candy stash for extra treats.

Parents brought their little monsters, princesses and wizards around and Dan couldn’t help but coo at all of them as Phil handed out fistfuls of candy. The babies especially hit hard. That would be their little family in a year’s time.

Finally, the night was winding down and Dan and Phil went inside, shutting off their porch light and closing the curtains. They were finally settling down for their movie while Dan chattered excitedly about the kids they saw that night.

“Phil, did you see that baby dressed as a bumblebee? Oh, or the one dressed like an ice cream cone? Or the…” Phil smiled lovingly at his partner. “What? What are you looking at?” Phil pecked his cheek. “You, silly.”

Dan blushed and cuddled into Phil’s side. “I’m just so excited to dress our babies up like that. We could do cute family costumes! Like Neil Patrick Harris and his family? Adorable!”

The movie soon became background noise while the future dads discussed baby outfit choices and family costumes.

November 12

Louise had shown Dan and Phil photo after photo of her daughters on their cab ride. They met for breakfast and were on their way to her house so the guys could see Darcy and Pearl.

“They are so excited to see you! It’s been such a long time,” Louise raved. “We’re excited, too! The girls look so big now!” Phil exclaimed.

Upon arriving at Louise’s house, Dan and Phil noticed how it looked dim inside as though no one was home.

“Louise, was Liam taking the girls anywhere?” Dan inquired. “Um, not that I’m aware of.”

She slowly unlocked the door and led the men inside. “Liam?” Louise called out, walking further into her home. Phil clung to Dan’s side as they entered Louise’s home and followed her in.

“SURPRISE!”

Dan and Phil jumped back in surprise as they were shouted at by their friends. Emily was waving front and center, Liam was carrying Pearl while Darcy jumped around enthusiastically, and both Dan and Phil’s families were present.

“What is all this?” Phil looked at everyone quizzically.

“It’s your baby shower!” Louise grinned at them. It was quite obvious once they noticed the baby themed decorations everywhere. It turned out that Louise hatched the idea to throw a surprise baby shower for the men and reached out to all of their friends for help. She made a registry for them and, of course, as a mother she knew exactly what new parents would need.

Dan’s heart melted at the sight. He knew that everyone supported them when they announced the pregnancy at his birthday gathering but this solidified that in his mind. Everyone was here to help them with baby materials and celebrate the impending arrival of their twins.

Dan and Phil made their way around the room, greeting their guests warmly. The rest of the afternoon was full of games, gifts, and sweets. Louise had a long table full of treats like cake pops and chocolate covered pretzels. She even had a camera available for people to record messages for the babies.

Soon the gathering wound down and everyone was on their way out. Louise offered to drive the men home with all of their new gifts.

“Louise,” Dan spoke up on their ride home. “Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to us.” She beamed and pinched Dan’s cheek. “Oh you lovelies it was no problem! Baby showers are huge for new parents. I wanted to help you if I could.”

They pulled up to their home and Louise helped them bring the gifts into the nursery. She gushed over the decorations and color of the room. They hugged her tightly as she said her goodbyes. “I’m gonna be the first one here when you bring those babies home, I swear!”

The men returned to the nursery and Dan pulled out the camera to film. He circled the room as he spoke. “Hello, little ones. I’m not sure if we’ve shown you the completed nursery but here it is with a few gifts from your family. Your auntie Louise held a baby shower for us today and we have a ton of new things for you both.”

Dan filmed the presents as well as showing off the furniture they’d set up and decorations across the walls. He turned the camera to face him and Phil. “You babies are going to be so unbelievably loved when you arrive.” Phil added, “You already are.”

\---

December 16 \- Dan’s message for the babies

_Hi babies! Uh, it’s your dad. Well, one of your dads. Daddy Dan. Oh no, I need to stop. Anyway! You guys are going to be here any day now and we are so excited to pick you up and bring you home! Your room is decorated and ready to go. I hope you like it!_

_Babies, I will love you forever and ever. I couldn’t be more excited and grateful that you’re joining us. I can’t wait to do all the dad stuff with you like dressing up in family Halloween costumes, play games, and be super annoying and overbearing. I’m totally going to embarrass you guys when you grow up and I can’t wait. This has been one of the most anxiety-inducing and most exciting times of my life. We’ve waited so long for your arrival and now you’re finally here. See you soon!_

December 18 \- Phil’s message for the babies

_Babies! Hello! It’s me, your dad, Papa Phil! You’re due in about 2 weeks and I’m practically vibrating with excitement. Look at my hands! By the start of the new year, I’ll be the father of two babies! Oh, babies, I can’t wait to meet you! I’ll be in my Sunday best. Gotta dress to impress, you know? In all seriousness, I’ve been wanting to be a dad forever and I can’t believe I finally get to be! It’s kind of terrifying. I kept worrying about messing up with you guys. They always say you’ll know what to do once you have kids but I always wondered, what if I don’t? Now, I couldn’t be more ready. Mistakes will happen but that’s a part of the adventure of becoming a parent. Your dad and I couldn’t be more ready. We’re prepared for the sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and constant screaming. Because for every tough moment, we’ll have so many more good ones. I love you babies and I can’t wait to have you here in my arms!_

December 24

Everyone was sitting in the lounge of Phil’s family’s home, laughing and winding down from playing games. They were spending Christmas Eve and Day with Phil’s family and the 26th and 27th with Dan’s family. Every year they alternated; it was a good system.

“Are you excited? In a week’s time you’ll be dads!” Phil’s mum squealed. “My baby boy is finally having babies of his own!” She was currently rocking Martyn and Cornelia’s son in her arms, but she couldn’t get enough of children.

“Well it’s probably only going to be just these two babies and that’s it,” Phil laughed. “We gotta feel it out with our twins before we can say with certainty that we’ll want more kids.”

Dan returned to the lounge with two small plates of cake for him and Phil. “Yeah, we’ll need to feel things out first.”

As soon as Dan sat down, his phone rang. He passed off his plate to Phil and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Oh, it’s Emily! Hi, Emily! Merry Christmas Eve!” Dan piped up cheerfully. “Hi, Emily!” Phil chimed in.

“H-hi, Dan. Um, so I’m on my way to the hospital right now. My water broke.” Emily spoke slowly, breathing heavily.

Dan’s face dropped. “W-what? Now?!” Dan’s shriek caught Phil and his mum’s attention. “O-okay, I’ll tell Phil and see what we can do.” He hung up and stared blankly at the family.

“Dan? What’s going on?” Phil placed his hand on Dan’s shoulder. “Uh, Emily’s water broke. She’s going into labor.” Phil’s eyes widened. “She WHAT? We have to go!” He hopped up and started grabbing their coats.

Dan frantically said goodbye to everyone as they ran out the door. “You have to visit once we bring them home!”

They hopped into their car and Phil began filming.

“So babies, I guess you were just as excited to meet us as we are to meet you! It’s currently Christmas Eve and we just received a call from Emily saying she was going into labor. You weren’t supposed to be here for at least another 5-6 days!” Phil laughed. “We just left my family’s home in Manchester and we’re heading back to London and hopefully we can make it for your delivery. It’s a bit of a ride but we’re going to try and make it as quickly and safely as possible!”

He stopped recording and rubbed Dan’s shoulder, trying not to distract his driving too much.

“This is it.”

December 27

Dan unlocked the door and swiftly pulled it open for Phil to come through with the two baby carriers, one in each hand.

“You’ve got super dad strength now?” Dan teased with a sly smile. Phil whined as he gently set the carriers down.

“My arms feel like noodles.” Phil kneeled down and uncovered their little bundles of joy. “But, they’re worth it.” He smiled warmly at their sleeping babies and Dan’s heart melted. He sneakily pulled out his phone and took a photo.

Dan kept his phone out when he heard Bear’s paws pad over. Bear ran over to the men and looked curiously at the babies in their carriers. He sat next to where Phil was kneeling. Dan began recording their interaction, knowing this would be something he’d like to share with his future children.

Phil patted his head gently. “You see the babies, Bear?” Bear sniffed lightly at each of the babies’ feet. “This is Milo and this is Amelia!”

Dan smiled fondly at the sight in front of him. His life felt so much more complete.

Amelia began to whine in her carrier. Phil tossed his cold coat off and unbuckled Amelia, pulling her out and gently resting her on his chest. Dan snapped another photo and embraced the two of them, pecking Phil on the cheek.

As if he could sense that no one was paying attention to him, Milo began to cry as well. Dan lifted him from his carrier and the dads rocked their babies, side by side.

Dan’s family would be coming tomorrow to see the babies and celebrate Christmas, Phil’s family would be around for New Year’s. For now, they had a moment of peace with their children.

**Author's Note:**

> Second fic for PRB 2020! I was in love with the prompt from the moment I saw it. Thank you to [flymetomanchester](https://flymetomanchester.tumblr.com/) for the prompt and art (find the art [here!)](https://flymetomanchester.tumblr.com/post/623819556512825344/my-first-art-piece-for-the-phandomreversebang) and my beta [irlsero!](https://irlsero.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I'm thinking of doing an epilogue so stay tuned for that!


End file.
